Choice

One of the principal tenets of modern democracy and civilisation is choice. We are told we have the freedom to choose how we live, what we eat, who we bang and what we do with our money.

It all sounds very revolutionary to me that in a few short years the central power mongers could cede complete control of civil liberties to the populace under the umbrella of democracy and equal opportunity. History teaches me that this is never the case. one form of control simply replaces another. So today you can choose your mobile phone carrier, choose whether to walk to work, or board a bus or drive yourself. Better yet you can choose to tele-commute. Very choisy world huh. . But is it really that simple?

This train of thought was started when I found out that Yu is owned by Essar Group who’s telecoms branch is better known as Vodafone-Essar since it is majority owned by Vodafone. Yes that means Yu is Safaricom in a different name and colours. So we effectively have 3 mobile operators in the country not four.

We are told that we have a choice to stop using fuel guzzling vehicles and opt for hybrids running on hydrogen and electricity. This is besides the fact that they are woefully inadequate and inefficient whether in terms of usability to affordability. Flogging such Gadgets and concepts in the media inculcates a sense that we are refusing to use the said technology because we are selfish and don’t want to conserve the environment.

It’s a psychological war being waged on the populace by the corporations to continue pushing profits higher past the now non-existent ceiling. They don’t give a crap about you or the environment. Research into truly renewable energy technology is stifled so that we keep buying good ‘ol black gold. We have known about the geothermal power potential in Kenya’s rift valley for years. My questions to my G.H.C teachers why it is not fully harnessed prompted a change in topic. Just after the recent power crisis is when Ken-gen started prancing around with grand plans to make sure our Christmas trees never go dark again.

We have numerous rivers bursting their banks seasonally displacing villagers and killing livestock year in year out as we keep complaining the rains have failed us. Man is legendary in mastering his environment. Men in pre-Jesus times with rudimentary technology built the pyramids. Physicists under pressure from the military figured out how to split an atom. You want to tell me our engineers, planners and scientists can’t figure out how to prevent floods, ensure near perfect harvests and secure food security?

Ladies and gentlemen we are being taken for a ride by the suits using strange words like profit margins and economic stimulus packages and fiscal policy amongst others meant to shroud why you are hungry and they ain’t. Am not bashing the economists and policy makers but reliance on profit machines to drive growth and influence values doesn’t sound like a good idea.

Telling me that I have full control in the choices I make is a blatant lie. I am guided by money period. Money is the new gold, minus the actual scarcity. The guy with the money is the new king. Only he isn’t new. He is the guy who was once a king. Trace his bloodline and you will find ancient royalty in it (or some dude who really kissed royalty ass). Nothing changes, just the faces and lies.

Like being told you have the freedom to choose.